Energy efficient buildings: EU ambassadors endorse agreement

Today, EU ambassadors confirmed the political agreement reached between the Estonian presidency and the European Parliament in December 2017 on the revised directive on the energy performance of buildings.

The directive will improve energy efficiency in buildings and encourage building renovation. Decarbonising the existing, highly inefficient European building stock is one of its long-term goals. It promotes cost-effective renovation works, introduces a smartness indicator for buildings, simplifies the inspections of heating and air condition systems and also promotes electro-mobility by creating parking spaces for electric vehicles.

"Today we reached a major milestone for improving the energy efficiency of our citizens' homes. The Bulgarian Presidency is pleased to arrive at this result on the directive on the energy performance of buildings, which is one of the priority items on the agenda of the Council. The 'energy efficiency comes first' principle is a key element of the Energy Union. Boosting the energy efficiency of buildings is one of the most effective ways of improving EU citizens’ quality of life, contributing to the achievement of a low-carbon economy, impacting economic growth, job creation, and investments" stressed Temenuzhka Petkova, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria.